sib

See also: SIB and šib

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɪb/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪb

Etymology 1

From Middle English sib, from Old English sibb (“related, akin, sib”), from Proto-Germanic *sibjaz (“related”), from Proto-Indo-European *sebʰ-, *swebʰ- (“one's own”). Cognate with West Frisian besibbe (“related”), Middle Dutch sibbe (“related”), Middle Low German sibbe (“related”), Middle High German sippe (“related”), Icelandic sifi (“related”).

Adjective

sib (comparative sibber, superlative sibbest) (obsolete outside Scotland)

1. Having kinship or relationship; related by same-bloodedness; kindred.
   • 1871 [reprinted 2023], Ellen Ross, The Wreck of the White Bear: Vol. 1, page 207:

     […] they are sibber to you than ever Miss Innes was or will be; and if like to bid me, […]

   • 1881, John Russell, The Haigs of Bemersyde: A Family History, page 144:

     seeing that his Majesty is "sibber to him than all the brothers and sons he has in the world." So far, James Haig had played his part with consummate skill.

   • 1898, Neil Munro, John Splendid: The Tale of a Poor Gentleman and the Little Wars of Lorn, Copp, Clark, page 126:

     "You talk about the crook in our Campbell tongue in one breath," said he, "and in the next you would make yourself a Campbell more sib to the chief than I am myself. Don't you think we might put off our little affairs of family history till we find a lady and a child in Strongara?"

2. Akin (to); similar (to).
   • 1637 July 6, Letter CLIV to William Glendinning [from Samuel Rutherford in Aberdeen], published in 1821, Joshua Redivivus; Or, Three Hundred and Fifty Two Religious Letters ... To which is Prefixed a Life of the Author, page 199:

     […] we are so much the sibber to Christ that we suffer; […]

   • 1826, Scotland. Court of Session, Mungo Ponton Brown, Supplement to the Dictionary of the Decisions of the Court of Session, page 503:

     1701. June 19. Dewar of Lassody against Scott of Spencerfield's Factor and Creditors. […] ; and that creditors seemed to be much sibber to these annualrents than the factors.

   • 1906, Oliver Elton, Frederick York Powell: A Life and a Selection from His Letters and Occasional Writings, page 249:

     I like my cousins in Holland immensely, but I feel more sib to the Northerners. Your description of Lofoten is fine. I can see them. They must be enchanting in their way, cod's head and tails or no. There is a fine eau de Javelle smack about a Dutch canal, by the way, that takes […]

Etymology 2

From Middle English sib, sibbe, from Old English sibb (“relationship; gossip; friendliness, kindness; love, friendship, peace, concord, unity, tranquility; peace of mind; a relative, kinsman, kinswoman”), from Proto-West Germanic *sibbju, from Proto-Germanic *sibjō (“kinship”), from Proto-Indo-European *sebʰ-, *swebʰ- (“one's own”).

Cognate with West Frisian sibbe (“relative, family member”), Dutch sibbe (“sib”), German Sippe (“tribe, clan”), Icelandic sifjar (“in-laws”), Latin suus (“one's own”).

Noun

sib (plural sibs)

1. Kindred; kin; kinsmen; a body of persons related by blood in any degree.
2. A kinsman; a blood relation; a relative, near or remote; one closely allied to another; an intimate companion.
   • 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers:

     But she got up to go, and Domenico obeyed me too in mock meekness, making himself sib and coeval to Hortense, submissive to frowning elder brother, something incestuous in it.

3. A sibling, brother or sister (irrespective of gender)
4. (biology) Any group of animals or plants sharing a corresponding genetic relation
5. A group of individuals unilaterally descended from a single (real or postulated) common ancestor

Derived terms

• half-sib
• little sib
• sib-bred
• sib-in-law
• sibling
• sibred

 

Related terms

• gossip

Translations

kindred — see kin

kinsman — see kinsman

sibling — see sibling

Etymology 3

From Middle English *sibben, *sibbien, from Old English sibbian (“to make peace; rejoice”), from Proto-Germanic *sibjōną (“to reconcile”), Proto-Indo-European *sebʰ-, *swebʰ- (“one's own”). Cognate with German sippen (“to be in relationship with, become related to”).

Verb

sib (third-person singular simple present sibs, present participle sibbing, simple past and past participle sibbed)

1. (transitive) To bring into relation; establish a relationship between; make friendly; reconcile.

Etymology 4

From the abbreviation SIB, or self-injurious behavior, a behavior found in autism.

Verb

sib (third-person singular simple present sibs, present participle sibbing, simple past and past participle sibbed)

1. (intransitive, clinical psychology) To engage in repetitive behaviors such as eye-poking, skin-picking, hand-biting, or head-banging.

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

Anagrams

• bis-, SBI, IBs, BSI, BiS, bis, IBS, BIS

Old High German

Alternative forms

• sipf, siph

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *sibi. Cognate with Old English sife.

Noun

sib n

1. Sieve

Descendants

• Middle High German: sib, sip; (West Central German) sif
  • German: Sieb, Sip
  • Luxembourgish: Siff

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *swiswis (compare Welsh chwichwi), a reduplicated form of *swīs (“you, ye”), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sʲiβʲ]

Pronoun

sib

1. you (nominative plural), ye

   Synonym: síi

   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 19^c20

     It sib ata chomarpi Abracham.

     It is you who are Abraham’s heirs.

Related terms

• sibsi (emphatic)
• sissi (emphatic)

Descendants

• Irish: sibh
• Manx: shiu
• Scottish Gaelic: sibh

Tat

Etymology

Cognate with Persian سیب (sib).

Noun

sib

1. apple

White Hmong

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʂi˥/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *-sji̯eu (“lightweight”).

Adjective

sib

1. light, not heavy

   Lub hnab sib. ― The bag is light.

Adverb

sib

1. sparsely, spacing, creating a gap between objects or plants

   Cov zaub tuaj sib sib. ― The vegetables grow sparsely.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Hmong *sjɨᴬ⁻ᴰ (“reciprocal marker”), borrowed from Chinese 廝／厮 (sī, “mutually”).

Adverb

sib

1. mutually, acting together or against each other

   Mus sib ntsib ― Go meet together.

   Nkawv sib ntaus. ― They fight each other.

References

• Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[1], SEAP Publications, →ISBN.